Inhaltsbereich

The purpose of the presentation will be to highlight many invisible and silent processes that enable most of the world’s 200 economies to achieve water security. Water security for the small volumes needed for municipal and industrial uses will be distinguished from water security for the food needs of society. The former is only a problem for the poor. But 80% of the world’s economies are food water insecure. Farmers, a small number of transnational commodity traders and consumers will be identified as the key agents in achieving global water and food security. These agents are all linked in market systems that do not have mechanisms to signal where water is being used efficiently or according to sound stewardship principles. It will be shown that there are a number of technologies, reforms and changes in behavior that will be key to the sustainable intensification of water use in agriculture.